Isaiah

Isaiah Institute Translation

Wickedness by the earth’s inhabitants leads to a cataclysmic destruction and collapse into chaos.

1 Lo! Jehovah will lay waste the earth and empty it;he will disfigure its surfaceand scatter its inhabitants.2 And it shall be with priest as with people,with master as with servant,with mistress as with maid,with seller as with buyer,with borrower as with lender,with debtor as with creditor—3 when the earth is sacked,it shall be utterly ravaged.Jehovah has given word concerning it.

4 The earth shall pine away,the world miserably perish;the elite of the earth shall be made wretched.5 The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants:they have transgressed the laws,changed the ordinances,set at nought the ancient covenant.6 The curse devours the earth,for those who dwell on it have incurred guilt;because of it the population of the earthshall be diminishedaand little of mankind remain.

7 The new wine withers on languishing vines,making all the lighthearted lament.8 The rhythm of drums ceases,the revelers’ din stops;the pulsating of lyres comes to an end.9 Men no longer drink wine amid song;liquor has turned bitter to drinkers.10 The towns of disorder are broken up;all houses are shuttered, that none may enter.11 Outside is heard the clamor for wine,though all joy has become gloom:the earth’s vitality is gone.12 Havoc remains in the city;the gates lie battered to ruin.

13 Then shall it happen in the earth among the nationsas when an olive tree is beaten,or as grapes are gleaned when the vintage is ended.14 Then will these lift up their voice and shout for joy,and those from across the seaexult at Jehovah’s ingenuity.15 Because of it they will give glory to Jehovahin the regions of sunrise,and in the isles of the seato the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel.

16 From a sector of the earth we hear singing:Glorious are the righteous!Whereas I thought, I am wasting away;I am weakening:woe is me; the traitors have been treacherous,the turncoats have deceitfully betrayed!

17 Terrors and pitfalls and traps await you,O inhabitants of the earth:18 those who flee at the sound of terrorshall fall into a pit,and those who get up from the pitshall be caught in a trap.For when the windows on high are opened,the earth shall shake to its foundations.

19 The earth shall be crushed and rent;the earth shall break up and cave in;the earth shall convulse and lurch.20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard,sway back and forth like a shanty;its transgressions weigh it down,and when it collapses it shall rise no more.

21 In that day will Jehovah deal on highwith the hosts on highand on earth with the rulers of the earth.22 They shall be herded togetherlike prisoners to a dungeonand shut in confinement many days, as punishment.23 The moon will blush and the sun be put to shame,when Jehovah of Hosts manifests his reignin Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,and his glory in the presence of his elders.

(1) Jehovah's collective covenant, whose blessings are voided by his people's transgressions and changes of its ordinances; and (2) Jehovah's end-time servant, who personifies Jehovah's covenant.

blue

A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's voice to his people, who is lifted up or sustained by those whom he delivers from destruction in Jehovah's Day of Judgment.

And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.

2

And it shall be with priest as with people,with master as with servant,with mistress as with maid,with seller as with buyer,with borrower as with lender,with debtor as with creditor—

From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

16

From a sector of the earth we hear singing:Glorious are the righteous!Whereas I thought, I am wasting away;I am weakening:woe is me; the traitors have been treacherous,the turncoats have deceitfully betrayed!

Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

17

Terrors and pitfalls and traps await you,O inhabitants of the earth:

פַּחַד וָפַחַת וָפָח עָלֶיךָ יוֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ ׃

And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

18

those who flee at the sound of terrorshall fall into a pit,and those who get up from the pitshall be caught in a trap.For when the windows on high are opened,the earth shall shake to its foundations.

Apocalyptic Commentary

Wickedness by the earth’s inhabitants leads to a cataclysmic destruction and collapse into chaos.

1 Lo! Jehovah will lay waste the earth and empty it;he will disfigure its surfaceand scatter its inhabitants.2 And it shall be with priest as with people,with master as with servant,with mistress as with maid,with seller as with buyer,with borrower as with lender,with debtor as with creditor—3 when the earth is sacked,it shall be utterly ravaged.Jehovah has given word concerning it.

(1) Jehovah's collective covenant, whose blessings are voided by his people's transgressions and changes of its ordinances; and (2) Jehovah's end-time servant, who personifies Jehovah's covenant.

blue

A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's voice to his people, who is lifted up or sustained by those whom he delivers from destruction in Jehovah's Day of Judgment.

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(24:1–3)

Chapters 24-27 comprise what scholars call the Isaiah Apocalypse—a prophecy dealing with the end of the world. In all respects, however, these chapters, together with their parallel counterpart, form a continuum of Isaiah’s development of prophetic concepts in Part V of Isaiah’s Seven-Part Structure (Isaiah 24-27; 48-54). Five Songs of Salvation (Isaiah 24:13-16; 25:1-5, 9; 26:1-6; 27:2-6) interject predictions of doom for the world. Nuancing Isaiah’s vision of Greater Babylon, particularly its cosmic destruction (Isaiah 13:9-10), chapter 24 portrays a tragic desolation of the earth and its inhabitants.

4 The earth shall pine away,the world miserably perish;the elite of the earth shall be made wretched.5 The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants:they have transgressed the laws,changed the ordinances,set at nought the ancient covenant.6 The curse devours the earth,for those who dwell on it have incurred guilt;because of it the population of the earthshall be diminishedaand little of mankind remain.

(1) Jehovah's collective covenant, whose blessings are voided by his people's transgressions and changes of its ordinances; and (2) Jehovah's end-time servant, who personifies Jehovah's covenant.

blue

A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's voice to his people, who is lifted up or sustained by those whom he delivers from destruction in Jehovah's Day of Judgment.

7 The new wine withers on languishing vines,making all the lighthearted lament.8 The rhythm of drums ceases,the revelers’ din stops;the pulsating of lyres comes to an end.9 Men no longer drink wine amid song;liquor has turned bitter to drinkers.

(1) Jehovah's collective covenant, whose blessings are voided by his people's transgressions and changes of its ordinances; and (2) Jehovah's end-time servant, who personifies Jehovah's covenant.

blue

A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's voice to his people, who is lifted up or sustained by those whom he delivers from destruction in Jehovah's Day of Judgment.

blue

(24:7–9)

Whether through lawlessness by citizens or invasion by enemies, the land’s desolation dries up supplies of beverages, putting an end to revelry. Entertainments cease and the indolent lifestyle of pleasure lovers becomes a thing of the past. The curse the prophet had pronounced as a warning to Jehovah’s people turns into reality: “Woe to those who go after liquor as soon as they arise in the morning, who linger at night parties, inflamed by wine! There are harps and lyres, drums, flutes, and wine at their banquets, but they regard not what Jehovah does, nor perceive his hands at work” (Isaiah 5:11-12).

10 The towns of disorder are broken up;all houses are shuttered, that none may enter.11 Outside is heard the clamor for wine,though all joy has become gloom:the earth’s vitality is gone.12 Havoc remains in the city;the gates lie battered to ruin.

(1) Jehovah's collective covenant, whose blessings are voided by his people's transgressions and changes of its ordinances; and (2) Jehovah's end-time servant, who personifies Jehovah's covenant.

blue

A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's voice to his people, who is lifted up or sustained by those whom he delivers from destruction in Jehovah's Day of Judgment.

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(24:10–12)

The “city” and “town/s”—in this case a representation of Jehovah’s wicked people and the nations—suffer destruction in Jehovah’s Day of Judgment prior to and on the heels of Assyria’s aggression (Isaiah 14:31; 19:2; 22:2; 23:7-9; 25:2; 26:5-6; 32:13-14; 37:26-27; 64:10-11). Addicts can no longer satisfy their cravings. Excesses turn into privation and joy into gloom even as Jehovah’s righteous people experience the opposite (vv 14-16). At the very time the wicked “city” perishes, the righteous “city” regenerates (Isaiah 1:26; 19:18; 26:1-3; 33:20-21; 45:13; 52:1-3; 60:13-15; 62:12; 65:18).

13 Then shall it happen in the earth among the nationsas when an olive tree is beaten,or as grapes are gleaned when the vintage is ended.14 Then will these lift up their voice and shout for joy,and those from across the seaexult at Jehovah’s ingenuity.15 Because of it they will give glory to Jehovahin the regions of sunrise,and in the isles of the seato the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel.

(1) Jehovah's collective covenant, whose blessings are voided by his people's transgressions and changes of its ordinances; and (2) Jehovah's end-time servant, who personifies Jehovah's covenant.

blue

A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's voice to his people, who is lifted up or sustained by those whom he delivers from destruction in Jehovah's Day of Judgment.

blue

(24:13–15)

While the “vintage” or “harvest” (basir) of the earth denotes the destruction of the wicked in Jehovah’s Day of Judgment, those who are “gleaned” out of it comprise a righteous remnant of Jehovah’s people: “In that day Jehovah will thresh out [his harvest] from the torrent of the River to the streams of Egypt. But you shall be gleaned one by one, O children of Israel. In that day a loud trumpet shall sound, and they who were lost in the land of Assyria and they who were outcasts in the land of Egypt shall come and bow down to Jehovah in the holy mountain at Jerusalem” (Isaiah 27:12-13; cf. 63:2-4).

Songs of Salvation erupt from Jehovah’s elect people in two chief places where Jehovah delivers them: (1) where “these” take refuge—that is, in the land of Israel; and (2) where “[those] from across the sea . . . in the regions of sunrise . . . in the isles of the sea” await Israel’s God. Those in the land of Israel lift up their voice and rejoice in Jehovah’s salvation, while those abroad exult at Jehovah’s ingenuity in orchestrating events in such a way as to deliver them (Isaiah 12:1-6; 42:1-12). Secondarily, those who “lift up” or “sustain” (yis’u) their voice uphold or sustain Jehovah’s servant (Isaiah 50:10; 52:8).

16 From a sector of the earth we hear singing:Glorious are the righteous!Whereas I thought, I am wasting away;I am weakening:woe is me; the traitors have been treacherous,the turncoats have deceitfully betrayed!

(1) Jehovah's collective covenant, whose blessings are voided by his people's transgressions and changes of its ordinances; and (2) Jehovah's end-time servant, who personifies Jehovah's covenant.

blue

A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's voice to his people, who is lifted up or sustained by those whom he delivers from destruction in Jehovah's Day of Judgment.

blue

(24:16)

The remnants of Jehovah’s people who survive Jehovah’s Day of Judgment rejoice as they learn of each other’s deliverance. Joy and singing characterize the dawning of the earth’s millennial age of peace. Although the righteous are mistreated and betrayed even by former friends—wondering whether they can endure their afflictions much longer—those who remain faithful to the end inherit glory (Isaiah 4:2-3; 46:13; 52:1; 60:1-3; 62:1-3). The words “Glorious are the righteous” (sebi lassaddiq) additionally mean “Glorious is the righteous one,” a reference to Jehovah’s servant (Isaiah 41:2, 26; 53:11).

17 Terrors and pitfalls and traps await you,O inhabitants of the earth:18 those who flee at the sound of terrorshall fall into a pit,and those who get up from the pitshall be caught in a trap.For when the windows on high are opened,the earth shall shake to its foundations.

(1) Jehovah's collective covenant, whose blessings are voided by his people's transgressions and changes of its ordinances; and (2) Jehovah's end-time servant, who personifies Jehovah's covenant.

blue

A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's voice to his people, who is lifted up or sustained by those whom he delivers from destruction in Jehovah's Day of Judgment.

blue

(24:17–18)

Worldwide calamity ensues after “the windows on high are opened,” signifying a Sodom-and-Gomorrah type of destruction. Cosmic cataclysm—when “the earth shall shake to its foundation”—signals the start of an onslaught of covenant curses that befall the wicked and from which there appears no escape (Isaiah 13:13-15). Isaiah uses assonance and alliteration to depict the “terrors” (pahad), “pitfalls” (pahat), and “traps” (pah) that spread pervasively throughout the earth, reflecting a point of no return for its inhabitants until the entire cycle of deliverance and destruction has fulfilled its purpose.

19 The earth shall be crushed and rent;the earth shall break up and cave in;the earth shall convulse and lurch.20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard,sway back and forth like a shanty;its transgressions weigh it down,and when it collapses it shall rise no more.

(1) Jehovah's collective covenant, whose blessings are voided by his people's transgressions and changes of its ordinances; and (2) Jehovah's end-time servant, who personifies Jehovah's covenant.

blue

A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's voice to his people, who is lifted up or sustained by those whom he delivers from destruction in Jehovah's Day of Judgment.

blue

(24:19–20)

Deep convulsions of Mother Earth—earthquakes, mega-volcanoes, and collisions with cosmic debris (Isaiah 5:25; 29:6; 32:19; 34:4, 9)—characterize Jehovah’s Day of Judgment. Jarred out of its current secure orbit (Isaiah 13:13), the earth reels and sways “like a drunkard,” reflecting the intoxicated spiritual state of its inhabitants. The people’s “transgressions” or “crimes” (pis‘ah) cause them to self-destruct. The earth with its inhabitants “collapses” or “falls” (napla) even as Greater Babylon “falls” (napla) (Isaiah 21:9), awaiting Jehovah’s new creation out of utter chaos (Isaiah 51:16; 65:17).

21 In that day will Jehovah deal on highwith the hosts on highand on earth with the rulers of the earth.22 They shall be herded togetherlike prisoners to a dungeonand shut in confinement many days, as punishment.

(1) Jehovah's collective covenant, whose blessings are voided by his people's transgressions and changes of its ordinances; and (2) Jehovah's end-time servant, who personifies Jehovah's covenant.

blue

A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's voice to his people, who is lifted up or sustained by those whom he delivers from destruction in Jehovah's Day of Judgment.

blue

(24:21–22)

As with the king of Assyria/Babylon—who rises high in the heavens, then falls to the depths of the Pit (Isaiah 14:9-15)—Jehovah puts down the “rulers of the earth” and certain “hosts on high.” Rulers who misrule (Isaiah 3:12-15; 9:14-16) and alien angels who abet evil in the world (Isaiah 34:4), who had the chance to enjoy the earth’s paradisiacal glory, instead spend that time confined in a “dungeon” or “pit” (bor). After wicked leaders are supplanted by the King of Zion and by his servants whom he appoints as rulers, the earth at last enjoys an enduring peace (Isaiah 32:1; 60:17-21; 65:13-25).

23 The moon will blush and the sun be put to shame,when Jehovah of Hosts manifests his reignin Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,and his glory in the presence of his elders.

(1) Jehovah's collective covenant, whose blessings are voided by his people's transgressions and changes of its ordinances; and (2) Jehovah's end-time servant, who personifies Jehovah's covenant.

blue

A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's voice to his people, who is lifted up or sustained by those whom he delivers from destruction in Jehovah's Day of Judgment.

blue

(24:23)

As anciently Jehovah manifested himself to Moses and the seventy elders on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:9-11), and as Moses witnessed his glory (Exodus 24:15-18), so when he comes to reign on the earth Jehovah manifests himself to his end-time elders in the two spiritual and political centers of Mount Zion and Jerusalem. During the earth’s millennial age of peace, Jehovah sends emissaries to those who survive his Day of Judgment so that they may likewise receive the chance to see his glory: “I will come to gather all nations and tongues, that they may approach and behold my glory” (Isaiah 66:18).